Falcons blow big lead, still win

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ATLANTA He called what his team did Sunday an “exquisite comeback,” and you have to give Pete Carroll credit.

His enthusiasm and silver-lining outlook remain indestructible.

The same can't be said of his Seattle Seahawks, who thundered back from a 20-point, fourth-quarter deficit to take the lead in the final minute only to lose in the closing seconds.

Matt Bryant's 49-yard field goal lifted Atlanta to a 30-28 victory in an NFC divisional playoff game that rattled the dust off the Georgia Dome's rafters.

“One word: believe,” Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “The outsiders said we can't win in the playoffs. Now they have to come up with other things to say.”

With Coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan, Atlanta had been 0-3 in the postseason, losing by an average margin of more than 18 points.

Though they blew the 27-7 lead they took into the fourth quarter here, the Falcons this time manufactured success.

After Marshawn Lynch's 2-yard run and Ryan Longwell's extra point had given Seattle the lead with 31 seconds to go, Ryan completed passes for Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez to set up the winning field goal.

“You could feel it,” said Bryant, who crushed the kick high into the net behind the goalposts. “I told the guys earlier when they (the Seahawks) scored the touchdown, ‘We've done this before.' And sure enough, we did it again.”

Ryan finished 24 of 35 for 250 yards and three touchdowns. The fourth-quarter winning drive was the 22nd of his career and sixth of this season. Playing in this stadium, Ryan is 34-6.

“Our quarterback is a special player,” Smith said. “I know his nickname is ‘Matty Ice.' I feel like we have two ‘Matty Ices.' We've got Matt ‘Ice' Ryan and Matt ‘Ice' Bryant.”

Ryan was outplayed, however, by Seattle's Russell Wilson, who completed 24 of 36 attempts for 385 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 60 yards and a score.

But in the end, the Seahawks and Carroll, the former USC coach, were unable to fashion a second, even-less-likely comeback.

“We put ourselves in position to get back for another game next week, and we couldn't finish it,” Carroll said.

“I can't imagine anyone expecting we would have a chance to get back in that game.”

The Seahawks did get back in it. But once, exquisite or not, wasn't enough.

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